SEO & local search
How does local SEO work for a small business?
Short answer
Local SEO is the work of appearing when people search for a business near them, in Google Maps and the local results. Google ranks local results on relevance, distance and prominence. In practice that means a complete Google Business Profile with the right category, current hours and real photos, a steady flow of genuine reviews, a website with a clear page for each service and area, and the same name, address and phone number everywhere the business is listed.
Last reviewed
What Google looks at
Google describes local ranking in three words: relevance, distance and prominence. You cannot change where a searcher is standing, so the work goes into the other two.
Relevance is how well your profile and website match the search. The primary category on your Google Business Profile matters most, followed by services, products and the words on your website.
Prominence is how well known and well regarded the business is: reviews, links from other sites, mentions in local press and directories, and how complete and active your profile is.
The checklist
- Google Business Profile: the most specific primary category, secondary categories, services or products, opening hours including holidays, real photos, a booking or quote link, and questions answered.
- Reviews: ask every satisfied customer, make it easy with a short link or QR code, and reply to all of them, including the bad ones.
- Website: one page per service and per town or region you cover, with your name, address and phone number matching the profile exactly, and LocalBusiness structured data.
- Citations: the same details on directories, maps and industry sites. Inconsistent addresses and old phone numbers confuse search engines.
- Speed and mobile: local searches are mostly made on phones.
How long it takes
Profile and technical fixes often show results within weeks. Ranking new pages takes a few months. In a small town with few competitors progress is faster than in a city category with dozens of established businesses.
People also ask this as
- How do I get my business on Google Maps?
- How do I rank higher in local search?
- Does my Google Business Profile affect my ranking?